


You Said I Was Foxy, I Think You're Right

by AsagiStilinski



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Foxes, Humor, Hunters & Hunting, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pets, Secret Identity, Secrets, Slow Burn, softie Kaiba Seto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-03-08 21:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18902665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: It was never meant to turn out this way, Atem is just an innocent shapeshifter, he was just trying to relax in the woods and the next thing he knew? He had become Seto Kaiba's pet foxIt's kind of hard to tell if life is being cruel or kind to be honest





	1. I'm Caught In Your Trap (Well Not Your's, Maybe, But Somebody's)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [venom_for_free](https://archiveofourown.org/users/venom_for_free/gifts).



> I completely blame Venom for this, one minute we're just talking headcanons and the next I'm making another multi-chapter fic
> 
> First chapter is for Prompt Monday- "Evolution" <3
> 
> I'll be trying to update this every week and updates will bring new tags as well, there will be many to add as this thing doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon xD I hope you guys are patient with me and stick around for the full ride of this crazy thing!

It all started with crying

Well, no, better described, it started with _wimpering_

That sad little crying would end up unraveling a journey that would change no less than a dozen lives by the time it was through

But backing up, the evening that the crying began had started like any other, completely normal... for a couple of shapeshifters

"- and then I had to explain to her _again_ what the differences were between a werefox, a fox-shifter, a kitsune, and a kumiho,"

Tiredly, Atem glanced up from where he had been lounging on the porch, eyebrows slowly raised as he stared up at his partner

"I may regret asking this, but aren't kitsune and kumiho essentially the same?"

Yugi looked absolutely _offended_ and Atem knew he shouldn't have asked

"Their very _nature_ is different! Kitsune are just tricksters but kumiho are cannibals! Or... well, man-eaters, I don't suppose you can be a cannibal if you're eating a different species, even if that species is human,"

"Mm, I se-"

"Kumiho are pure evil, kitsune, even at their worst, aren't evil so much as merely chaotic tricksters, plus, kumiho have no benevolent spirits the way kitsune have Inari,"

"Good poi-"

"And the way they earn their tails is different too, not to mention the difference between the kitsune's star-ball and-"

"Yugi?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know what might make you feel better?"

Yugi had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly what Atem was about to offer, and the very idea of it practically had his tail wagging- well, it would have been if he'd had his tail at the time

"A run through the woods?"

Atem didn't even bother to confirm that, rather, he immediately jumped up from the porch, shedding his clothes quickly and stuffing them under the chair on the deck, leaping forward and feeling his very _bones_ tingle with excitement as the shift took over, his body shrinking and reforming, bones melding and reshaping, his skin prickling delightfully as fur sprouted from his follicles and his heart racing as the transformation finally took place

Gone was the man who had just been sitting on the porch, in his place was a beautifull red fox

"Hey, wait for me!" Yugi laughed, watching in amusement as his freind pranced and jumped excitedly in front of him, Atem's little paws tapping impatiently from side to side as he waited on his freind to join him

Moments later, a second red fox, just a bit smaller than Atem, appeared next to him, letting out a fond gekkering of amusement and excitement before taking off down the dirt road, leading from their house to the woods

Atem took off immediately behind him, equally overjoyed as he followed his partner into the woods

He always preferred this form

Foxes had it so much easier than humans, they never had to worry about all of the garbage that human society dealt with

No financial stress, or dealing with taxes

No worrying about career pressure or conforming to the "family values" that most people tried to push on others

They didn't have to bother with pretending to like their enemies or wearing a mask in public to hide who they were, all for the sake of social politics

No government, no conforming, no hiding, no stress, no _pressure_

All that mattered was the dirt beneath their paws and the simplicity of day-to-day living, just as the gods had intended it

His mother had always told him that shapeshifters were the luckiest species in the world,that the gods had blessed them with the rare gift of _choice_

Shapeshifters could choose to be human, or choose to be animals, or choose to shift back and forth between the two, as Yugi and Atem did

They had more freedom than anyone else in the universe and Atem thanked the gods every day for that- he knew he would have gone insane long ago if it weren't for the freedom that foxhood gave him

Ofcourse, that wasn't to say that shapeshifters didn't come without their challenges

They had human pressures to deal with, and the typical worries that came with being wild animals such as predators and human interference, they had to keep a very, very big secret and, worst of all, they had to deal with hunters

Not only the typical hunters that shot deer for sport or caught foxes to turn them into scarves, but the _Others_

The Others, as Atem personally liked to call them, were nothing but bigoted assholes who believed anything not human was beneath them and anything from the Fae Lands was an abomination

Descended from an old and antiquated way of thought, they were no better than racists, homophobes, and every other violent puritan group that thought anyone who didn't look, act, think, and love like they did was a "flaw" or violating some religious codex and needed to be exterminated

The only difference was that The Others rarely faced consequences from their actions

No legal prosecution could get in the way, no public opinion could be formed, they were free to kidnap, torture, and murder as they pleased because the only way to expose their crimes was to expose the Fae Community, and for obvious reasons, no one was prepared to do that- not now, not yet

Atem thought about them sometimes, he tried to keep his eyes peeled for them whenever he was in a vulnerable situation like he was doing runs, but he hadn't put any serious thought behind them in years

Not since moving to Domino, not since losing the ones who had been on his tail before...

Shaking his head of all the thoughts, he inhaled deeply and flopped down suddenly in the grass for a nice roll around

He felt so at peace here in the woods

The late spring air provided a nice breeze and although his heart was racing, it was out of exhilaration rather than anxiety

He knew that they couldn't stay for too long, they had a deadline to meet, but five or ten minutes wouldn't kill anyone

...

Well, in theory, atleast

He took in another deep breath, closing his eyes breifly and stretching out his legs as he felt a familiar weight plop down on top of him

Absently, he leaned forward and started grooming his freind, licking behind Yugi's ear affectionately as the smaller fox squirmed around and burried his face against Atem's belly, the two of them shifting and squirming until they laid in a comfortable clump together, forming something of a misshapen heart form together as they relaxed in the early evening sun

They needed to be home by sunset, they _didn't_ need to be out here after dark, but they could enjoy the last of the sun before heading back home

It wasn't napping, exactly, it was more like meditation

Curled up in a comfortable ball, soaking in the sensations of nature around them, from the scent of the pine trees to the light heat of the sun, the feeling of the earth's energy moving through them and the scent of eachother, the chirping of birds and chattering of squirrels and crying of baby foxes....

..

Wait a minute what?

The two raised their heads at the same time, ears perking up in alarm as they hurried to untangle themselves and start running towards the sound

Atem, having longer legs, arrived first- if only by seconds- and sniffed the air, easily managing to find a little fox hole nearby and stick his head in

Surely enough, two baby foxes were stuffed inside, looking terrified and distressed, huddled together and wimpering...

He vaguely acknowledged the sound of Yugi skidding to a stop beside him as he lowered his head and sniffed the kits further, trying to get a scent beyond "Fox"

It wasn't hard to pick up

The two were shapeshifters- distinctly, there was no such thing as mistaking an animal for a shapeshifter or vice versa when it came to scent, all Fae Folk had an undeniable undercurrent of magic in their scent, even non-magic users like vampires still had that slight dash of magic in their blood that allowed their kin to easily identify them

This was bad....

And when he glanced up at Yugi and saw the distress on his face, he realized _exactly_ how bad it was

The foxes were exceedingly young, with stubby little ears and big eyes, roughly the size of a couple of large squirrels

The problem was...

Shapeshifters shouldn't be able to shift that young

Even the most talented shifters usually couldn't make a full shift until they were _atleast_ three or four years old, although the most common age was far closer to six or seven, and even then, that was only some species, alot of species didn't even start shifting until puberty hit, when the rest of their powers started to develop

Atem had never seen shapeshifters this young before, he hadn't even known it was possible, though one thing was for certain, though it may have been _possible_ , it most certainly wasn't _natural_

These babies hadn't shifted on their own- they had been _spelled_ that way

Yugi let out a quiet squeak, pulling Atem's attention towards him

His tail was swishing back and forth and his ears were flat against his skull, pawing at the ground anxiously

Shapeshifters, when shifted, didn't have "language" quite the same way humans did, but they had ways of communicating, and Atem and Yugi understood eachother with absolute crystal clearness- in _and_ out of fox form- without needing to say a word

Yugi squeaked again, this time louder, more distressed, his body curling up in a defensive position, and Atem felt as though he was going to be sick

There was a common practice in the Fae community, it was... sort of an underground thing, not spoken of, but still known

When someone knew that a hunter was coming for them and had no way of escape, if they had young children, they would hide their children somewhere, until it was safe, or.... until someone else found them

With shapeshifters, they called upon magic-users- if they could- to spell their little ones into their animal forms, and hid them somewhere that humans wouldn't commonly look, then came back for them later

Or waited another shapeshifter to find them

To humans it probably sounded exceedingly cruel, but for Fae Folk, it was all they had

Hunters were relentless and _rarely_ was there a chance for those being hunted to drop their kids off with a freind or relative wile running for their lives, particularly a freind or relative who wasn't _also_ being hunted

Yes, this way of hiding their children was dangerous, but when the choices were _possible_ death versus _certain_ death.....

Even more frightening, most hunters struck at night, that was why Atem and Yugi never shifted after sundown, so if these babies were already here and hidden away before the sun had even set....

They might have- _probably_ had- been there since the night _before_....

Wich couldn't mean good things for whoever left them there

Yugi _screamed_ this time, stomping his paw on the ground and hissing at Atem to jerk him out of his thoughts

Atem knew what they had to do

Sadly, this was not uncommon among their people, and Atem had known for years that the day may come where he would come across this possibility...

So, quietly, he reached in and gently clamped his jaws around one kit, pulling the little one free and setting them down in front of Yugi, before going back for the second one

Yugi picked up the first in his jaws with ease, carefully, by the scruff of the neck, and gave a flick of his tail before running off

Atem swallowed down his tornado of emotions before picking up the other kit in his mouth and lifting a leg on the fox hole, marking it with his scent so that, if, _hopefully_ , the kits' parent came back looking for their babies, they would know what had happened and come to the house to collect them

Shapeshifters had truly extraordinary senses of smell, they often communicated with eachother this way just as wild animals did

Hopefully by tonight, the kits' parent would return, find Atem's scent in their hiding spot, and realize that another shifter had come to rescue the children, then come to the Mutou household to collect them

No harm done

....

He hoped

He sprinted off quickly after Yugi, no longer able to enjoy the nice spring breeze or warm rays of sun

Instead, his mind was elsewhere, consumed with the sudden pressures that had been dropped onto his shoulders, with the sudden responsabilities that had been laid on his back

He was so consumed with his thoughts about what he would have to do now- with getting the kits home, figuring out how to get them shifted back into human form, then having to actually get supplies to care for babies for a few days like diapers and formula and clothes and- ... _everything else_.... that he didn't even notice the trap in front of him

It all happened so quickly after that....

The pain was unlike anything else he had ever felt

It was intense, and it shot through his entire body like a bullet

The sharp metal teeth dug into his leg like thorns and he screamed the second it closed around him, the kit falling from his mouth and hitting the ground, causing the little one to start crying as well

No......

No no no no no no no no no no!!

Yugi was there almost immediately, acting as though he was about to put the kit in his mouth down, but Atem wouldn't have it

He gave a snarling snap of his teeth, insisting silently that Yugi go ahead without him

His partner hesitated, but after Atem snapped again, he finally agreed, carefully setting the kit down just long enough to fit both baby foxes into his mouth- a tight fit at best- and hurrying out of the woods

Atem panted desperately, his vision blurring

All he had to do was shift back and pull his arm free of this damn trap

Sure, it would hurt like hell, but he would heal

There was just one problem though...

As he began attempting to shift back, the familiar tremors flowing through his veins- now more like prickling spikes than a pleasant tickle- he started to realize that this trap wasn't just an average fox trap

It was specifically designed for fox-shifters

Kitsune, kumiho, werefoxes..... they all fell to the same substance: Foxglove

Just as wolfsbane took out werewolves, foxglove was extremely toxic to fox-folk

And if Atem shifted back and widened his wounds, more of the deadly substance would seep in, and it would kill him faster

Damn.....

He'd have to get it off without shifting

That is, if he could manage it before the poison nocked him out...

 

~+~

 

Hey kids, the word of the day is "tedious"!

Seto didn't know how he was still alive after this day, honestly

He had been struggling so much with this one fucking program that he felt like he was going to explode

That was exactly why he was currently refocusing his attention

He was just going to work in the garden for a few minutes and see if he could clear his head

Maybe a little time in nature would do him some good

He doubted it- _alot_ \- but that was what the gardener had said and he was desperate enough to get some releif that he decided to take her up on it

So far it wasn't working

Just as he was preparing to go inside and call it quits, his thoughts were interrupted by a horrible, loud, scream coming from the woods

It was close too, judging by how clear the sound was

Without thinking on it any further, he hurried to his feet and took off through the yard and into the woods

Ofcourse, he wasn't sure what he would do once he was out there, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to see what had caused the scream to begin with

For all he knew, some poor little animal had just been killed, and that was something he certainly didn't want to see the remains of

But something was telling him to go forward, some ... baser instinct that he didn't quite understand

By the time he thought to question it, he was already half-way there

Running through the woods, searching uselessly for the source of the sound

This was rediculous, he knew

He was running into this completely blind, not sure what he was looking for, where he was looking, or even if he could help...

And yet, he couldn't stop

It was as though something else was pushing him forward, as though something was shouting at him to keep going, and though Seto didn't typically believe in bullshit like "intuition" and"precognition", he did know that going with his gut was usually the right response

It had never lead him astray before

Just as he was really starting to question his decision, however, he finally caught sight of what had caused the sound

Laying in the middle of the forest, one foot caught in a bear trap, was a beautifull red fox

"Fuck..." Seto breathed, hurrying to the little animal's side and reaching out, hesitating a moment

How smart was it for him to put his hand on an injured, wild fox?

Not very

But he was doing it anyway, atleast he was wearing gardening gloves, it should catch teeth if the fox tried to bite

Swallowing tightly, he gently rested his hand over the fox's belly and sighed in releif

He was breathing, if a bit erratically, there was still a chance...

Hurriedly, he put his hands into the bear trap and sprung it back open, feeling his stomach churn at the blood that started pouring out of the fox's leg

Shit....

Very, very carefully, he pulled the little animal's leg out, pulled off one of his gloves, and grabbed his phone out of his pocket

 _Find an exotic vet, start the car_ he texted quickly, sending it to Isono before rushing to shrug off his coat and very, very gently wrap it around the unconscious animal

He lifted the little fox into his arms, staring down at the animal before sprinting to the exit of the woods

"I know you can't understand me," he said quietly, hugging the fox close as he ran

"But I'm saving your life, ok? So don't you fucking _dare_ bite me,"

 

~+~

 

When Atem gasped awake, he bolted up, letting out a quiet wimper at the pain that shot through his leg

His leg....

SHIT!!!

Sitting up as quickly as he could, he looked down, remembering the bear trap and- ... finding that it wasn't there...

As a matter of fact, he wasn't even outside anymore

His leg was bandaged up, and although he felt woozy, he felt _better_ , not at all like how he should have felt from foxglove poisoning

It was then that he realized he was moving... and laying on a little towel.... was that cardboard around him?

Shakily, he slowly lifted his head, forcing himself to sit up a little straighter and drape his front paws over the side of the - .... box...?

He was in a box?!

And that was a seatbelt going across the box... there was a headrest in front of him....

He was in a car....

Oh. _SHIT._

That was when the realization began to dawn on him- horrifying as it was- that he had been picked up by a human, who had, evidently, taken him to a vet

And if the human was driving him around in a cardboard box-

"Hey little guy, you're awake?"

Startling, he wipped his head around, his ears flat against his skull and his little body trembling as he craned his neck and stared up at the human who was sitting in the seat next to him- the human he hadn't even realized was there until just now

He was tall and a bit pale, with thick brown hair and bright blue eyes, and a soft, gentle, smile on his face

"Hi sweetie, do you remember me? You woke up wile we were at the vet, do you remember?"

Fuck no he absolutely did _NOT_ remember, thank you

"Aw, I guess not huh? You're shaking,"

The human reached out, and Atem braced himself for the rough contact that usually would follow, but- ... there was none

Instead, gentle, warm fingers, started to massage his head and scratch behind his ears

His head was pounding, so he couldn't say he exactly enjoyed it, but he was a little less tense than he had been a second ago so he supposed it was a win

Ish

"It's ok little one, you're going home with me now, and nothing else will ever hurt you, _ever_ again,"

Wait a minute, what-

"After all, you're my little freind now,"

WHAT-

"My precious little pet,"

_**WHAT!?!?!** _

....

Atem was so screwed


	2. I Don't Think "Fluff" Is Meant To Be Taken Literally In This Context

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter ahoy! If you thought the crazy was going to go down any, you're horribly mistaken

"Save this fox!!"

Oh for the love of fuck

Slowly looking up, his face depicting the exact expression of a man who had just absolutely _had it_ with his job, as Marik watched a tall man in what was probably a designer coat run into his exam room carrying an injured fox

...

Sure, not the weirdest thing that had happened to him today

"You realize we're closed right? How did you get in here? The door was locked?"

Despite the questions, he wasn't actually all that surprised

His life seemed to be a series of bizarre bullshit incidents that would fit in snuggly with a comedy anime

Really, at this point, he was just waiting for the panty-shots and the uncomfortable bad-wrong romances to start

"That doesn't matter right now, all that matters is that you save this fox's life!"

Please don't let this be an example of the latter

Rolling his eyes, Marik just decided that it wasn't worth trying anymore, and gently nudged the human out of the way, taking the fox and putting him down on the table that he had just finished sterilizing

"Ok, looks like a hurt foot, hardly a life endangering situation,"

"Double check, I think something else is wrong," the stranger- and boy did Marik mean _that_ in more than one context- insisted, crossing his arms worriedly over his chest as he stared down at the limp little fox on the table

"I hope you"re prepared to pay the late-night emergency fee," Marik grumbled as he grabbed his stethoscope from the counter

He wouldn't usually be so insistent on that, his top priority in being a vet was to help animals after all, not to make money

But in this case, the guy was just enough of an asshole for Marik to push for it

"Do you have any idea who I am? I'm Seto Kaiba, there is no price too high for me to pay," he insisted proudly and with an underlying sense of annoyance, as though the fact that Marik _hadn't_ recognized him on sight was offensive to him

Well, atleast that explained alot

It figures that the richest man in the country would be wearing a designer coat in the middle of spring and have an exotic pet

"... Good to know, you can pay in cash," Marik replied simply as he put the earpeices in his ears and gently pressed the disc of the stethoscope to the fox's chest

Huh... his heartrate _was_ slow....

"What happened to him? Do you know?" he frowned, taking the stethoscope off and grabbing a pen light from the drawer beside him

"I'm not entirely sure, honestly... I found him in the woods with his leg caught in a bear trap,"

That gave Marik pause, suddenly growing far more serious and swallowing hard

"Did you just .. say.... _bear trap_?"

"Yes, are you deaf?" Kaiba snapped irritably

"What kind was it? Could you tell? Color? Size?"

"What? I don't know, what does it matter?"

"It matters because he may have been poisoned," Marik replied in irritation, immediately but gently peeling back one of the fox's eyelids and shining the light into it

There was a red ring around the pupils...

That only happened if a very _specific_ type of fox was poisoned by foxglove...

Jaw tightening, he didn't hesitate any longer to turn back towards the cabinet above him and grab a packaged syringe and a small vial of medicine

"How long has he been like this?"

"I .. don't know for sure, it took me about half an hour to get here after I found him,"

Marik only hummed quietly as he unpackaged the syringe, hurrying to take the cap off of the needle

"You said he was poisoned? By what? By _who_?"

"Foxglove, it's toxic to humans but to foxes it's lethal, it sounds like the trap he was stuck in was laid out by hunters, who were specifically trying to kill foxes,"

"What?! WHY!?"

Marik could see on Kaiba's face that he couldn't even fathom the idea of someone intentionally hurting- not to mention _killing_ \- a fox, and that actually .. kind of made up for the assholeish behavior

Kaiba was an animal person, not a people person, Marik couldn't very well blame him for that when he was the same way

"Because humans are evil," Marik replied simply, finally having the needle prepared and gently injecting the medicine into the fox's scruff

He didn't even flinch

....

Well that wasn't good

"But-"

"Hunters are a real problem around here, especially lately," he provided a second later, watching the fox begin to twitch

Ah... good, the antidote was working

It would take a little wile, but he'd be ok

Though, just to be safe, Marik should probably give him something to help purge his system of the poison...

"Really? I ... didn't know that," Kaiba muttered quietly, finally moving to sit in the chair against the wall, watching miserably as Marik moved towards the cabinet again and reached up on the tips of his toes to get a jar of what he needed

"Yeah, well, unless you're intimately involved with the wildlife in this area, you wouldn't, they stay very discrete and quiet, clean up the messes they leave in their wake, it isn't like a bunch of hillbillies with rifles traipsing around in your yard hunting deer,"

Kaiba didn't seem any less troubled

_Good_

"Aren't there any laws to stop that shit?"

"Not really," Marik frowned as he snapped on a pair of latex gloves and unscrewed the lid of the jar that he had just retreived

"I mean most of the animals they hunt aren't endangered or anything so it's technically legal, but even if there _were_ laws against it, that wouldn't stop them, even exotic and endangered animals aren't completely immune to the havoc these fuckers wreak, they just find ways to avoid getting caught,"

"That's sickening," Kaiba hissed as Marik scooped a little bit of cream onto his fingers and began rubbing it into the wound on the fox's leg, wincing as the animal wimpered and cried in pain

Gods... Marik hated this part of his job

"Yeah it is, but ... _humans_ , they're fucking _like that_ , you know, in case you never heard of what happened to the Tasmanian Tiger or the Dodo Bird or the Chinese River Dolphin,"

Kaiba looked like he was either going to puke or cry, and honestly? Marik was kind of proud of him for that

"Sick...."

"I know, but thankfully there are also people like you out there, helping those who are unable to help themselves,"

Maybe a little positivty would help...

Though, before Kaiba could possibly respond to that, the fox suddenly reared back, and hacked up an enormous blob of black, gooey ... "blood" .. maybe... to be honest, Marik still wasn't totally sure what ichor actually was...

"... UM....?" Kaiba said slowly, his expression perfectly mirroring a man who feared for his life... and was also a little grossed out

"Don't worry, that's normal," Marik promised as he gently shifted the fox so that the animal could rest without touching the ichor

...

Well, the table _had_ been clean

Atleast the fox was getting better though

So he then went on to bandaging the paw, reaching up to grab the bandages and ointment

He knew that with this _specific_ type of fox, stitches would be unnecessary

Now that the healing factor was kicked back into gear, even the bandage would be unnecessary soon enough, but Kaiba couldn't know anything about that

"Doesn't he need stitches?" the man in question asked worriedly

"Nope, the wound is surprisingly shallow, must have been a pretty shitty bear trap," Marik replied simply

Kaiba made a quiet sound, as if he weren't entirely sure what to think of that- wich was reasonable enough- and watched with discontent as Marik started to bandage the fox's paw

"What happens to him now?"

"Well, you can leave him with me, then when he's healed I'll give him to a zoo or a rescue center of some sort, as I'm sure you don't want him back in the wild with-"

"I could take him,"

Oh fuck not this.....

"That isn't at all what I-"

"I think I should take him,"

"You can"t make a wild animal your pet,"

"He's not _that_ wild,"

"That makes no sense! And how would you know anyway? He's been injured and poisoned since the moment you met him! When he's fully healed he'll be far more of a challenge than you can handle, mark my words,"

And there, Mairk would come to realize later, was his fatal flaw

He had inadvertently slammed down a challenge in front of Seto fucking Kaiba, wich was much akin to dangling a steak in front of a starving dog

He'd have no chance in hell of winning this one

 

~+~

 

"There's nothing to be afraid of, this is your new home now,"

Oh _fuck that_

Atem was being held prisoner

Kidnapped

Abducted against his will!

He didn't care how big the asshole's mansion was or how expensive the food would be, he was NOT a pet!

In shapeshifter society, there were three rules more important than all others about shapeshifting:

1\. Do not reveal yourself to a human

This was pretty self-explanatory and had fairly obvious consequences

2\. Do not shift for too long or too often

Shapeshifting was possible due to a physical gene yes, but _controlling_ the shift was entirely mental, and the longer a shifter spent in animal form, the more like that animal they become, and the harder it would be to control the shift, until, finally, if too much time was spent in animal form, shapeshifting became impossible all together, and the shifter became stuck as nothing more than a normal animal- with a few heightened qualities like accelerated healing and longevity, but human qualities? Gone

And finally

3\. Do not under any circumstances become a pet

This rule was actually violated more often than anyone in the community cared to admit, sadly

The thing about becoming a pet is that there was a 95% gurantee that atleast one of the former two rules would end up being broken as well

More likely than not, if you're someone's pet, you're going to spend most of your time in animal form, wich will violate the second rule, and if you _do_ go about shapeshifting on a regular basis, your chances of getting caught sky rocket to a near inevitability

Plus, shapeshifters who become pets really _do_ have the tendency to become _pets_ after a wile

"Domesticated" versions of themselves with little will of their own who live only to please their masters and be good and, often, dim-witted little animals

That thought terrified him, and he was reminded of all the horror stories he had been told as a child about shifters who took that route

Becoming a pet was often compared to suicide in shapeshifter society, as, though it wasn't a physical death, it was certainly a death of self-hood

Only those who had truly given up on life and no longer wished to have a human consciousness chose that kind of life...

Is that what he was doomed to now?

A slow death of his human faculties?

He couldn't imagine a worse torture...

"Isono, go to the pet store and pick up everything on this list of the highest quality you can find,"

Sighing, Atem realized sadly that he didn't even know the human's name, and watched listlessly as he handed the man who had just been driving the car a list of some kind, before heading towards the stairs

"I know you feel bad now little one, but it'll pass, and then you'll be happy here, with me,"

Oh what bullshit

What incredible bullshit this human was spouting, and he didn't even know it

Well screw this!

Atem was _not_ going to be one of those sad, hapless little shapeshifters who got stuck as a pet, he was going to get out of here or die trying!

Sure, right now he was so groggy and ill that he could barely move, but that wouldn't last forever

Surely by the time the human went to bed, that feeling would fade and he would be able to make a run for it

He just had to wait for the human to go to bed, that was all

And as it was already after dark, that should only take ... what? Four... five hours at most?

 

**Seven hours later**

 

"I think this ribbon looks rather spiffy on you, it really brings out the lightness of your fur,"

Kill him

Just fucking kill him

Atem wasn't sure if he wanted someone to kill the human idiot in front of him, or Atem himself, but frankly, he was past the point of caring

One of them needed to die, it was the only way Atem would be alleviated of this shit

"I'm ordering a special collar for you, but ofcourse it'll be a couple of days before it gets here, even with overnight shipping it's going to take a day or two for them to print the design,"

Oh? And what fresh hell would that be? A pink glittering princess collar covered in diamonds?

Atem had never in his life known a human being to be this obsessed with their pet, but then, in total fairness, he had never known anyone who was rich either, and it was a well known fact that rich people were fucking psychopaths who treated their pets better than their own human children

Couldn't he have atleast ended up with a normal person who could barely afford their rent and would give him snuggles but otherwise leave him alone?

"Until then though, we want the staff to remember that you're a member of the family now, and a nice ribbon is just the way to do that,"

Really?

Really? Was it?

The fact that he was living in the mansion and sleeping in a giant red velvet pet bed with _His Royal Highness_ embedded into it in gold thread wasn't enough of an indicator?

Gods this guy needed some freinds

Or a lover

Or some kids

Or any human entity that would suffer through this so Atem wouldn't have to

Because as it was now, Atem was going to be forced to endure what seemed to be an eternity being fluffed, puffed, and pampered in ways that only very elderly dogs could possibly enjoy- and even that was pretty questionable

Seriously, did this guy ever fucking _SLEEP_!?

"I bet you're pretty thirsty right about now huh? I'll get you some water," the human cooed, petting Atem's head for apparently the millionth time before heading out of the room

Atem, in the mean time, sighed and stared down in irritation at his bandaged paw

Damn hunters... it wasn't enough that they were slaughtering his people just because of their own speciest reasons? They really had to go and fucking _humiliate_ them too?

Atem could do little more than groan and miserably flop over on his side

Fuck his life

_"Seto!!!"_

Oh, a voice...

_"Hey Seto, you home yet?"_

And the voice wasn't referring to the giant tree of a human- he assumed, anyway- as "Mr. Kaiba"

Could this be a relative?

Sitting up a little, Atem's ears were perked up, his attention fully on the door, a little excited with pure curiosity as the door opened and a ... teenager? Apparently? walked in??

".. Holy shit,"

Yeah, that feeling was mutual, Kid

Just moments later, before the teenager could fully step into the room, "Seto" had appeared behind him once again with a cup of water

... Really?

How the hell was Atem going to drink out of a _cup_!?

"Mokuba," Seto noted blandly

"Seto.... why do you have a fox on your bed?"

"He's our new pet,"

Mokuba's nose wrinkled as he turned around and stared at the other man, clearly looking rather... _hesitant_

"Really?"

"Yes, why does that surprise you?"

"Well... when you talked about getting a pet, I kinda just assumed you'd go for a cat... or a dog... or you know, something _other than a fox_ , where did he even come from?"

"I rescued him, see? His little foot is hurt,"

Rescued?

RESCUED?

Is that what he was trying to call this _KIDNAPPING!?_

(Sure, technically, the guy didn't know Atem was actually a person, he just thought he was some dumb animal apparently, but still! Did animals not deserve consent!?)

"And he's so well-behaved, just look at him," Seto promised, setting the water down and suddenly scooping up the fox, holding him up by the armpits- wich, thanks Dickweed, that wasn't uncomfortable _at all_ \- and showing him off to the teenager

Atem tried his best to make the expression on his face scream "HELP ME" but given the kid's further confusion and skepticism, it didn't seem to be working

"... Riiiiight, and where did he come from again?"

"I rescued him,"

"From where though?"

"... The vet gave him to me,"

"What?"

"Well I found him stuck in a bear trap in the woods so-"

"Wait a minute, that's a WILD fox?"

Thank you, young man, for having inherited the common sense gene in your family

"Seto what if he's rabid!?"

"Does he look rabid to you?"

"... Well, no I guess not... but he does look miserable,"

"The vet had to sedate him, he's probably just loopy," Seto shrugged, shifting Atem in his arms and giving the fox an affectionate little kiss on the head

Atem turned back to the teenager, this time attempting to make his expression read something more along the lines of _Please end my pathetic life_

It still didn't work

Were fox faces just... too cute or something?

".. Right, and the little blue ribbon around his neck?"

"That's just because it makes him look even more precious than usual,"

"... Riiiiiiiiight," Mokuba said slowly, crossing his arms over his chest and raising his eyebrows

"Do you like him? You can pet him you know,"

_Please don't- ___

__Aaaaand there was a teenage hand now petting him_ _

__Lovely_ _

__Not that Atem minded being petted, quite the opposite, he actually really enjoyed it_ _

__But there was a line to be drawn and Atem was trying to make it clear that he didn't want to be a pet_ _

__"So what's his name?"_ _

__"His... name?"_ _

__"Yeah... did you not name him yet?"_ _

__No, thank the gods_ _

__"Not yet, I've been trying to think of something worthy of him,"_ _

__"Worthy huh? How about Thor?"_ _

__**PLEASE!! NO!!!!!** _ _

__"No, that's too-"_ _

__"I was joking,"_ _

__"Oh,"_ _

__Well, thank the gods for small miracles_ _

__"What about... Yami?" Mokuba suggested suddenly, starting to scratch beneath Atem's chin_ _

__Ahh.. that felt good... probably a little too good, Atem was closing his eyes, tail swishing, clearly very relaxed..._ _

__"Yami huh? Why?"_ _

__"Well, look at how dark his eyes are, they're pretty right? I don't know.. it just seemed cute,"_ _

__"Yami..." Seto repeated slowly, suddenly moving Atem around in his arms and shifting to stare down into his eyes_ _

__... And taking him away from chin scritches, wich was a fucking crime_ _

__"Alright then, welcome to the family Yami,"_ _

__... Oh shit, they just named him didn't they?_ _

__Once humans named something, they considered it their's and would never let it go_ _

__....._ _

__How was it even possible that Atem was more screwed than before?_ _


End file.
